The New York Times www.nytimes.com ran an article on 5-14-06 in the job market section titled Training to Work in the Home (Someone Else's). The article said that the occupation of home health aide is the fastest growing occupation and that the growth predictions for this position will remain strong...
Making the most of the job posting process
Many job seekers find the job posting boards enticing because they appear to be an effective method of search and the opportunities posted seem plentiful. But the reality is that a meager 3-5% of candidates in search find their positions through the posting boards. While I don't recommend spending ...
Reasons to create an ASCII (text only) version of your resume
An ASCII résumé is a plain text presentation of your document. It does not include graphics, rule lines, or bullets and it's far less "sexy" than your Word document, but many recruiters and hiring managers prefer plain text documents. Imagine that you are a recruiter who has posted an open positio...
Following up on networking leads
Clients often struggle with the notion of following up with networking contacts. Many are concerned that they will be perceived as a nuisance if they follow up with a contact too aggressively. The key to a successful follow up campaign is to be persistent without the other party knowing it. If you c...
Self-marketing capsules
The self-marketing capsule is an important piece of marketing collateral that every job seeker needs to position themselves effectively during a job search. Whether in a networking context or a job interview, job seekers must always be ready to deliver their personal pitch in an exciting and memorab...
Personal Marketing Plans
Many job seekers make the mistake of investing all their time and energy seeking out open positions on the job boards and then trying to make their skill set match the job specification. The reality is that only a small percentage of job seekers find their jobs through the boards. A better strategy ...
Build your network through professional associations
Networking is the cornerstone of a successful job search campaign. It is the on-going process of building and maintaining relationships with people who have information you want and need and reciprocating with information that is useful to others. Joining a professional organization related to your ...
Deferring questions about salary expectations
My clients often ask me when is the appropriate time to discuss salary expectations. It's in the candidate's best interest not to discuss compensation until there is an offer on the table. You need to first get the employer to love you and feel that they've got to have you. Once you've accomplished ...
Corporate Alumni Networking Sites
More often than not, people lose touch with former business colleagues. They cite multiple reasons including lack of accurate contact information and lack of time. After a certain amount of time passes, people often report feeling awkward making a call to a former colleague. Losing contact with for...
Holiday Season Networking
Many job seekers place their searches on hold during the holiday season because hiring activity is traditionally slow during this period. While it is true that fewer companies are filling full time positions in December, the holiday month is actually an ideal time to retool your networking strategy ...